


The Past Catches Up

by AmadeusMachina



Series: Adventures of Amadeus Mac'hina [8]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Angst, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Named Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Nonbinary Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Post-Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:54:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29768241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmadeusMachina/pseuds/AmadeusMachina
Summary: Written for Days 27 and 28 of #Febhyurary (prompts: Memory and Celebrate!), this is set immediately after the quest "Shadowbringers".An Echo, or a dream? Whichever it is, Amadeus has every reason to believe they've finally uncovered a clue to their past... but why now?
Series: Adventures of Amadeus Mac'hina [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2165676
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As far as I can tell from available lore and fan speculation, the Seventh Umbral Calamity was most likely aspected to Darkness, but I’ve also seen some points in favor of an unaspected or all-aspected Rejoining, so the vision is written to reflect all of these ideas insofar as it seems possible.

The haze began to recede from their vision, only to be replaced by a scene of equal darkness. Freezing rain pelted down onto them, ushered along by howling gales and the splitting crack of thunder above. Lightning lanced its way across the sky, illuminating the torrents of mud and debris that flooded over the ground and lighting fires in the corpses of the dessicated forest.

Amadeus was having the dream again.

They ran, their breath reduced to heaving gasps as it met with the turbulent air. Yet despite their growing fatigue, the grip they had on their companion’s hand remained firm. 

They could not let go. They could never let go. They might as well die then and there.

Almost there, almost…

They rammed their shoulder hard into the wooden door, forcing it open with a grunt. A few groups of people huddled together in the confines of the stark stone temple, first fearful of the new intruders before recognition and resignation crawled into their faces.

The adventurer staggered to a corner of the sanctum, nearly collapsing onto the unforgiving floor, and tried to ignore the bitter comments of the other survivors.

“Is this what remains of the Vagabonds?”

“The elementals have forsaken us all.”

“Hydaelyn’s chosen, eh? Chosen for what, exactly?”

They grimaced, gritting their teeth to breaking.

“Don’t listen to them, Ama. It’s not your fault.”

They wearily turned their head to inspect their ward. They were, as usual, indistinct and distant, a blur of colors, but they could see them preparing to bandage the warrior’s wounds. 

They huddled together, flinching at every crackle of aether. Their ministrations finished, their friend focused on drawing Amadeus’ cloak around them. At least they were warm.

The silence brought with it a subdued acceptance of their shared fate. There was no escape from the death that raged out of doors, only delay.

“Amadeus… I’m scared.”

Their head throbbed as the child’s voice reverberated through it. As they had so many times before, they fought in vain to peek through the veil of the vision. They still couldn’t clearly see who was clinging to their side so desperately, though they could feel themselves pulling them into their embrace protectively.

Good. Now all they had to do was wait for the moment to end, as it always did. This scene had haunted them for years now, and while they ached to unravel its mysteries, there seemed to be no means by which they could affect its passage. 

“I know. I am too.”

They hardly felt the words pass their lips, their own ragged voice alien to their ears. Mentally, they reeled from the shock even as they felt themselves tense, drawing their companion’s head into their chest as the ground surged beneath them. Horror filled their being as their vision drew dark…

...And then suddenly, light took all, and they went numb.


	2. Chapter 2

“My child… how you have suffered…”

They could only barely see now, but Hydaelyn’s presence was not in question. They felt themselves trying to scream out, to ask what had become of it all, why they were here? Why? Instead, they remained suspended, weightless, helpless.

“Hear.”

Sensation returned to their body, and they felt aether contracting around them. They struggled.

“Feel.”

There was someone floating in the distance, facing away from them. They were wreathed in light, dissipating, the only feature distinct on their body a glyph on the back of their silhouette.

“Think.”

Amadeus reached out to the person even as they felt themselves falling unconscious, a cry trapped in their throat.

“Live.”


	3. Chapter 3

With a gasp, Amadeus awoke, left hand flying to their throat. The feeling of suffocation was fading, and they forced themselves to breathe normally. The scar of Light across their chest flared with heat, though the pain it caused them had been diminishing since the battle with Hades.

They scanned their room in the Pendants. It was empty.

Given their luck, they should probably find this comforting, but they found themselves wishing for Ardbert’s counsel, or even the presence of that ominous damned shoebill. Anything but alone.

That was certainly a change from the past, when they would actively seek solitude. But that was when it had seemed necessary to hide their frailties. That was a tactic which had not survived contact with their trials on the First and the care of their Scion family. 

It would behoove them to seek them out, or G’raha, maybe even both.

Ah, but later. They were supposed to meet further on in the morning for breakfast at the Wandering Stairs anyroad, since the initial parties celebrating the return of night to all of Norvrandt had more or less scattered them all to the winds. They had spent the last few days becoming increasingly disconcerted by people outright refusing their help and instead insisting that the Warrior of Darkness kick up their feet. It had gotten so unsettling that they had relented and taken a full day to enjoy the hot springs at Clearmelt.

They had a routine, and it served them well. They should clear their head with their daily training first. They would probably have to do it here in their room, since walking outside in the midst of the celebrations meant they would be bombarded with attention from the citizenry of the Crystarium.

Well, while it would certainly be more satisfying to punch a striking dummy so hard that it bounced off the nearest wall, doing some forms would be much more calming, not to mention just as effective for keeping themselves toned. It had been a while since they had practiced the Crimson Lotus… maybe they could do a little dancing practice too, in the privacy of their room. It would be easy to lose themselves in rhythm for a while, and thus still their tremulous mind.

They hopped out of bed and crossed over to the armoire, searching for something lightweight. As they began changing, even taking the time to test out a few new outfits, they watched the untainted sunlight pour through the open window of their room...

The sunlight. The sun was up. Before them.

They had slept overlong. The surprise momentarily stunned them into inaction. In an instant, they were at the window, checking the position of the sun.

They might actually be late to breakfast.


End file.
